An open letter to the Walz administration from former Minnesota Governor Arne Carlson

Commentary from the Minnesota Reformer:

An open letter to the Walz administration from former Gov. Arne Carlson
By Arne Carlson

For over four years, the Walz administration has refused to answer very basic questions that deal directly with the public’s access to healthy drinking water.

Those questions become increasingly important with the recent announcement of Teck Resources Ltd partnering with PolyMet — owned by international mining conglomerate Glencore. They are seeking to enlarge their mining operations, which are in close proximity to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Lake Superior. 

The people of Duluth and the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation draw their water from Lake Superior and the adjacent area. Overall, 35 million people depend on the Great Lakes for their drinking water, and harm to one lake affects them all.

Any government — regardless of party control — owes its full allegiance to the people and not to any special interests. 

With that in mind, the question again arises:

Why is the state of Minnesota doing business with an international corrupt company such as Glencore, and why is it being permitted to partner with a Canadian mining company in Teck Resources — 10% owned by the China Investment Corporation and possessing a lengthy record of environmental destruction? 

Now we have one mining conglomerate in Glencore with a lengthy list of environmental degradation and international corruption — fined $1.5 billion by the Justice Department last May for price fixing and bribery of public officials — joining forces with another foreign mining operation with a similar history of illegal exploitation of natural resources, including its role in polluting the celebrated Columbia River. To this point, officials of Teck Resources admitted in a federal court that they had polluted the Columbia River in Washington state for more than a century.

And these two partners are now to be trusted with this state’s most valuable water resources, including Lake Superior, which holds 10% of the world’s fresh surface water?

Where are the state’s standards? Where is the vetting? Where is common sense? 

Our supply of drinking water is diminishing while our demand is increasing, and the state’s leadership is silent.

On top of this, the Minnesota health community — including the Mayo Clinic — requested of the governor that a health study be done of the waters that would be affected by the discharge of waste from the PolyMet mine. This effluent includes mercury and arsenic. This too has been completely ignored.

Former state Reps. Tom Berkelman, DFL Duluth, and Janet Entzel, DFL Minneapolis; Duke Skorich, president of Zenith Research Group, in Duluth; and Chris Knopf, executive director of the Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness and I have been pursuing answers to these and other questions in the hope that a leader in this administration will speak up. 

After all, if everything is above board and is in the interests of the people, why all the stonewalling? 

Finally, review the mission statements of your area of responsibility. All of you pledged to serve the best interests of the people. Specifically, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is “committed to insuring that every Minnesotan has healthy air, sustainable lands, clean water, and a better climate” (emphasis mine).

The Department of Natural Resources states that its mission is “to work with Minnesotans to conserve and manage the state’s natural resources.” This includes our drinking water. 

Partnering with Glencore and Teck Resources violates department pledges and severely compromises the integrity of public service.

I implore you to protect the well being of the people you serve.

This article from the Minnesota Reformer is republished online under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Consider making a donation to the Reformer.

Photo: The St Louis River. Photo by Rob Levine/Minnesota Reformer.

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Comments

[Karen Ahrens]

The nitrate level of our private well is 19ppm, alarmingly high. Our farm is organic but we live one mile from a factory dairy operation. The farm has requested a variance to increase their animals from 1500 to 6000. Our county has a 1500 animal cap. The Board of Adjustment has heard their case and denied it twice. They, in turn, appeal the decision. With every denial, it goes to court. In the meantime, we mediate our water, our voices are silenced at public
hearings and we fear for our health.